ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — One of New Mexico’s state senators is not running for reelection because she cannot afford to.

Silver City’s Siah Correa Hemphill said she will be removing her name from the ballot after the primary election on June 5.

Hemphill says being a state senator was a large financial burden and it also took a lot of time away from her family because she would have to commute from Silver City to Santa Fe multiple times a year.

Hemphill was first elected in 2021 and served on both the Senate and Legislative Finance committees. She was instrumental in securing funding to improve U.S. 180 between Deming and Silver City. She also secured more funding for rural hospitals.

After serving in the Roundhouse for four years, she says this volunteer position felt more like a full time job.

“At the height of the pandemic, it was ironically, it was a lot more accessible,” Hemphill said. “Rooms were a lot less expensive. It has become more and more challenging to be able to afford to spend time up in Santa Fe.”

Hemphill said it wasn’t an easy decision but she is hopeful this will lead to modernizations efforts in the Roundhouse.